31 Days of October, Day 28

Today is the last day for serial killer movies. I have kind of watched a ridiculous number of them. (And I didn't give you my list of true crime novels either. Heh. Writers have unusual reading histories. It goes with the turf, really.) The first film I want to discuss today is called Perfume: the Story of a Murderer.

The film is every bit as lush and creepy as it seems. The novel, by Patrick Suskind is also quite good and the author does a brilliant job of working scent into the piece. (It was an influence on Of Blood and Honey, by the way. Since Liam is a sort of werewolf, I thought it appropriate.) This is one of my favorite films in spite of the stereotypical "helpless woman is in danger we must save her from the big bad" trope. It's quite beautifully done, and the costumes are stunning.

Next, Psycho (1960) of course.

In this case, I'm going to recommend a film to see before you watch it: Hitchcock (2012)

Not only does this film give you some great background on the film, but Hitchcock is a wonderful watch all on its own. Anthony Hopkins is fabulous, and Helen Mirren is, as always, absolutely brilliant as Hitch's long-suffering wife. For the record, Hitchcock is an exaggeration in many ways. (Hitchcock never re-mortgaged his house to support the picture, for example. He did, however, defer his salary in exchange for 60 percent of the net profits.) The picture is a lot of fun, nonetheless. Psycho is one of the few times I've never read the novel, but one day I will. By the way, Psycho by Robert Bloch was inspired by real-life 1950s era serial killer Ed Gein. Does that name look familiar? That would be because he inspired a number of cinema serial killer characters, including Buffalo Bill and Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. 

And now for something far more light-hearted, Arsenic and Old Lace.

I adore Cary Grant. (Also, I hope I didn't already talk about this one.) Anyway, it's one of my favorite screwball/dark comedies, and yes, it does include serial killers--three, actually. ;)